A North Carolina tractor-trailer driver is in jail in Jefferson County Wisconsin for making an illegal u-turn that caused a motorcyclist to crash into the side of the big rig and die.
Jeremy M. Pearce, 39 of Henderson, N.C., was charged with homicide by negligent operation of a motor vehicle following the crash he caused on Highway 16 near Hustisford Road in the town of Ixonia on August 16, 2010 at 1:10p.m. Pearce originally denied to investigators that he was trying to make a u-turn and claimed he was only trying to make a left hand turn on Hustisford Road, but investigators felt a u-turn was in progress given the location of the tractor trailer after the crash - it was parked across Highway 16.
When investigators interviewed Pearce a second time, he admitted that he was making a u-turn at the time of the deadly collision. He also acknowledged that it was against the rules of his truck company to make such a maneuver.
Killed in the crash was motorcyclist Craig R. Conway, 57, of Beaver Dam. Witnesses said the Mr. Conway did not have time to avoid the collision due to the way Pearce pulled his truck across the highway. U-turns are very dangerous moves for large commercial trucks because of the potential for blocking multiple lanes of traffic. It is always safer for a truck driver to drive on down the road in the direction he is headed and wait for a place where he can safely turn around without blocking any lanes of traffic.
Here's a short video clip demonstrating why such moves are dangerous:
At Davis Law Group, we represent those who have been injured or killed by the recklessness and carelessness of truck drivers. Attorney Davis frequently teaches other truck lawyers how to properly handle truck crash cases. Truck cases are complex cases that require a lawyer to have special training and expertise. If you are considering hiring an attorney to represent you in a truck crash case, you should ask the attorney when was the last time that he attended a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course on truck litigation, and what specific truck litigation groups or associations is the attorney a member of.
Two groups that every experienced truck attorney belongs to are the American Association of Justice (AAJ) Interstate Trucking Litigation Group and the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Truck Litigation of America (APITLA). Attorney Davis is a National Advisory Board Member of APITLA.
